7 comments:

Green was in a rare state of "artistic grace" between '71 and '76. I notice that for most of the greats this window lasts for about five years, say, Aretha from '67 to '72, or Ray Charles '54 to '59, or Stevie Wonder '70 to '75, or Brian Wilson '63-'67, or Ray Davies '66-'71, or the Who '68-'73, or John Fogerty '68 - '72... Rare is the artist who can be in this state for decades, such as James Brown or Frank Sinatra, or who can go out of it for 25 years and then come back into it, like Dylan.

I just found a cheap used copy of an out-of-print box set called the Hi Records Story. Hi was like Motown, in the sense that all the artists (including Green) used the same incredible backing band in the same great-sounding studio. Kind of shocking to realize that Al is just the tip of the iceberg. Other relatively unknown greats include O.V. Wright, Syl Johnson, Otis Clay, Ann Peebles, and others. I will never cease to be amazed -- and nourished -- by the extraordinary flowering of black musical genius between 1925 and 1975. It's like an endless supply...

Yup. It was clearly Mitchell's vision -- or sound. As great as Green was, to my knowledge, he never recorded anything of note without Mitchell. One could say the same of Aretha and Wexler, or even Beatles/Martin. A lot of artists are like a great engine, but they lack a steering wheel.

Support This Site With a Donation

Stories For The New Depression Inspired By The Last One

Read The Meteor, Or You Won't Know What It Says

Read Our Borderline Blog For Boys,Or Risk An Intertunnel Noogie

About Me

I lost my job making glass eyes for merry-go-round horses back in my youth. I decided to become a mercenary commando soldier, you know, hired gun, but unwisely chose the Salvation Army as my outfit. I never got to kill anybody, and I've got tinnitus in my right ear from the bell now.